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December
Pakistan ex-PM Khan urges government to hold talks over snap polls
Written by Nur Yasmin
Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan on Friday urged the government to hold talks to decide a date for an early election to end an impasse that has stoked political instability since his ousting in April.
The 70-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been leading a countrywide agitation, demanding an early election following his removal in a parliamentary vote led by his united opposition.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who replaced Khan, has rejected the demand for the snap polls, saying that the election will be held as scheduled later next year.
Khan has lately threatened to dissolve parliaments in two provinces, which are ruled by his party and coalition partners.
"Either sit with us and talk as to when the next elections should be held, or else we will dissolve the assemblies," Khan said in an address to his party members telecast live.
The talks offer is a step back by Khan, who has previously been refusing to sit and negotiate anything with the coalition government, which contains former opposition parties he has said comprise a corrupt political elite. The parties reject that allegation.
Khan rode to power after winning a general election in 2018, which his opponents say he secured through a rigged ballot engineered by the country's powerful military, a charge both Khan and the military deny.
The dissolution of the two provincial parliaments could trigger a constitutional crisis in the South Asian nation, which is already facing political and economic instability.
The government has said it will hold elections in the two provinces if Khan decided to dissolve them.
In response to Khan's statement, Interior Minister Rana said the government could hold the talks sought by Khan, adding it was also ready to hold elections in the provinces in case the parliaments were dissolved.
Khan last week called off over a month-long protest march in his first public appearance since he was shot at and wounded in a gun-attack last month in November. (reuters)
December
Indonesia set to penalise sex outside marriage in overhaul of criminal code
Written by Nur Yasmin
Indonesia's parliament is expected to pass a new criminal code this month that will penalise sex outside marriage with a punishment of up to one year in jail, officials have confirmed.
The legislative overhaul will also ban insulting the president or state institutions and expressing any views counter to Indonesia's state ideology. Cohabitation before marriage is also banned.
Decades in the making, the new criminal code is expected to be passed on Dec. 15, Indonesia's deputy justice minister, Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej, told Reuters.
"We're proud to have a criminal code that's in line with Indonesian values," he told Reuters in an interview.
Bambang Wuryanto, a lawmaker involved in the draft, said the new code could be passed by as early as next week.
The code, if passed, would apply to Indonesian citizens and foreigners alike, with business groups expressing concern about what damage the rules might have on Indonesia’s image as a holiday and investment destination.
The draft has the support of some Islamic groups in a country where conservatism is on the rise, although opponents argue that it reverses liberal reforms enacted after the 1998 fall of authoritarian leader Suharto.
A previous draft of the code was set to be passed in 2019 but sparked nationwide protests. Tens of thousands of people demonstrated at the time against a raft of laws, especially those seen to regulate morality and free speech, which they said would curtail civil liberties.
Critics say say minimal changes to the code have been made since then, although the government has in recent months held public consultations around the country to provide information about the changes.
Some changes that have been made include a provision that could allow the death penalty to be commuted to life imprisonment after 10 years of good behaviour.
The criminalisation of abortion, with the exception of rape victims, and imprisonment for "black magic", remain in the code.
According to the latest draft dated Nov. 24 that was seen by Reuters, sex outside marriage, which can only be reported by limited parties such as close relatives, carries a maximum one-year prison sentence.
Insulting the president, a charge that can only be reported by the president, carries a maximum of three years.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, has hundreds of regulations at the local level that discriminate against women, religious minorities, and LGBT people.
Just weeks after Indonesia chaired a sucessful Group of Twenty (G20) meeting that saw its position elevated on the global stage, business sector representatives say the draft code sends the wrong message about Southeast Asia's largest economy.
"For the business sector, the implementation of this customary law shall create legal uncertainty and make investors re-consider investing in Indonesia," said Shinta Widjaja Sukamdani, the deputy chairperson of Indonesia's Employers' Association (APINDO).
Clauses related to morality, she added, would "do more harm than good", especially for businesses engaged in the tourism and hospitality sectors.
The changes to the code would be a "huge a setback to Indonesian democracy", said Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch.
The deputy justice minister dismissed the criticism, saying the final version of the draft would ensure that regional laws adhered to national legislation, and the new code would not threaten democratic freedoms.
A revised version of the criminal code has been discussed since Indonesia declared its independence from the Dutch in 1945. (Reuters)
December
Japan eyes up to $318 billion for 5-year defence spending plan -sources
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan is set to earmark 40 trillion to 43 trillion yen ($295 billion-$318 billion) for defence spending over five years starting in the next fiscal year, which begins in April, three sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Friday.
That would be a jump from the current five-year defence plan for spending 27.5 trillion yen, stoking worry about worsening one of the industrial world's worst debt burdens, which amounts to twice the size of Japan's annual economic output.
The new numbers marked a compromise between the defence and finance ministries, the three sources said. Until recently, the defence ministry had sought 48 trillion yen, while the finance ministry had multiple options centring around 35 trillion yen.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told key ministers on Monday to work on a plan to lift defence spending to an amount equivalent to 2% of gross domestic product within five years, from 1% now, as Tokyo faces an increasingly assertive Beijing.
The key ministers - Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki and Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada - are expected to meet again with Kishida this month to iron out differences over the spending plan. The Finance Ministry declined to comment.
Defence authorities had informally floated an idea of spending in the upper range of 40 trillion yen over five years, while finance bureaucrats had sought spending along the lines of the current five-year plan.
"It won't be critical to spend some 40 trillion yen. The question is whether the government could secure funding sources and whether we can let the money flow through domestic defence and related industries to back the economy," said Takuya Hoshino, senior economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute. "If we spend the money to buy weapons and other military goods overseas, that would trigger capital outflows and yen depreciation."
Reflecting opposition from many lawmakers against tax increases, which could nip the nascent economic recovery in the bud, Japan is expected to delay any such moves for at least a year, sources told Reuters.
That would leave the country with fewer options to secure funding for a boost to military spending.
Three government sources, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Japan could focus on measures such as spending cuts, more debt issuance, non-tax revenue such as surplus money from the foreign reserves special account, and money left over from funds to help state-related firms cope with COVID. (Reuters)
December
Malaysia's newly-appointed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Friday that he would also serve as the country's finance minister, retaking a cabinet role he first held 30 years ago as he looks to address a slowing economy.
He also appointed Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who has been charged with graft, as a co-deputy prime minister, indicative of the need to appease coalition partners essential for the stability of his administration. Ahmad Zahid has denied the charges.
Anwar became premier last week, after a general election last month resulted in an unprecedented hung parliament. Anwar's bloc did not win a simple majority but he formed a coalition government with the help of other political blocs.
"This cabinet is a cabinet of a unity government," Anwar told a news conference. The ministers will be sworn in on Saturday, he said.
"We have set several basic principles: good governance, spurring the economy, and reducing the people's burden in terms of living costs."
His new deputy premier Ahmad Zahid is on trial over 47 charges of bribery, money laundering and criminal breach of trust. Ahmad Zahid has pleaded not guilty.
Zahid leads the Barisan Nasional alliance - Malaysia's long-dominant political bloc that is now unpopular due to corruption allegations against its leaders. Barisan came in third in the polls but its support was essential for Anwar to gain parliamentary majority.
Fadillah Yusof, another key coalition partner, was also named as a deputy prime minister.
Key portfolios including foreign and trade ministries were allocated to coalition partners.
Anwar's cabinet also features many new faces, including Rafizi Ramli, the deputy president of his party, who was named economy minister.
CHECK AND BALANCE
Investors have cheered Anwar's appointment as prime minister, hoping that he can bring stability after a period of political uncertainty that saw three prime ministers in as many years.
Anwar's appointment capped a three-decade political journey from a protege of veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad to protest leader, a prisoner convicted of sodomy and opposition leader.
Anwar was appointed as finance minister in 1991 by the then prime minister, Mahathir, and later became deputy premier.
He was fired in 1998 after the two disagreed over how to respond to a financial crisis across Asia, and subsequently jailed on sodomy and corruption charges - accusations that Anwar maintains were aimed at ending his political career.
Critics have cautioned against Malaysia's premier also holding the finance portfolio, in order to ensure proper check-and-balance mechanisms and avoid a repeat of a multibillion-dollar graft scandal that erupted under former prime minister Najib Razak.
Najib held the finance portfolio during his premiership in 2009-2018. During that tenure, he co-founded 1MDB, a state fund from which some $4.5 billion were allegedly stolen between 2009 and 2014, according to U.S. prosecutors.
Najib is now in jail for graft over the 1MDB scandal. (Reuters)
December
Japan tells China, Russia it has 'severe concerns' over joint air patrols -spokesperson
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan has told China and Russia it has "severe concerns" over their frequent joint air force activities around Japan's territory, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Thursday.
"We will closely monitor the increasing cooperation between the two countries with a sense of concern," Matsuno, Japan's top government spokesperson, told a regular press conference, adding that Japan would "decisively protect" its territories.
The Russian defence ministry on Wednesday announced its military and Chinese counterpart conducted joint patrols of strategic warplanes over the Sea of Japan and East China Sea. (reuters)
December
Modi's home state Gujarat votes, seen as easy mid-term test for India's leader
Written by Nur Yasmin
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat began voting on Thursday with his Hindu nationalist party expected to win a seventh straight term, but any unexpected slip could herald a tighter contest in national polls due by 2024.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not lost in the western industrial state since 1995 and Modi served as its chief minister for nearly 13 years before becoming prime minister in 2014 after trouncing the Congress party.
Opinion polls conducted in the lead-up to the Gujarat polls projected the BJP to comfortably retain power in the state.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which was formed only a decade ago and has claimed power in Delhi and the state of Punjab, is set to become one of the main opposition parties in Gujarat at the expense of Congress.
Early on Thursday, voters in Surat, the state's second largest city and a diamond cutting and polishing hub, lined up to cast their ballot in the first of the two-phase election.
The city is expected to witness a three-way contest with Congress and AAP also looking to make inroads in the BJP bastion. The second phase of voting is on Monday and results are due on Dec. 8.
In the last state election five years ago, the BJP won 99 seats in the 182-member assembly while Congress got 77.
The BJP is expected to win between 131 to 139 seats this time, ABP-CVoter projected in November. Congress could win 31 to 39 seats while the Aam Aadmi Party could bag up to 15.
According to India TV-Matrize opinion poll, also conducted in November, the BJP may win up to 119 seats.
Modi remains popular in many parts of the country despite criticism of inflation and unemployment, and his party also expects to emerge victorious in state assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh in the north, which were held last month with results to be declared on Dec. 8.
AAP has promised voters subsidies on electricity and other bills in their bid to become the main challenger to the BJP.
Congress, on the other hand, launched a cross-country march in September against what it calls "hate and division", hoping to revive its fortunes and regain some popularity. (reuters)
December
U.S. preparing more sanctions on North Korea, Sullivan says
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United States is working a new round of sanctions against North Korea, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Thursday, as Pyongyang forges ahead with banned missile development and signals a possible new nuclear test.
"We have a new set of sanctions measures coming forward as we speak," he told a conference in Seoul organised by the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies and the South Korean JoongAng media group.
Sullivan, who spoke via live video link, did not elaborate but said Washington was committed to using pressure and diplomacy to entice North Korea into giving up its nuclear arsenal.
The "North Star" of U.S. Joe Biden's North Korea policy is the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, and it remains steadfast in pursuing that goal while being flexible in working with partners on how to achieve it, he said.
He pointed to increased cooperation between the United States, South Korea, and Japan, which have increased joint military drills. The United States is also working on a more "visible" regional presence of its strategic assets, Sullivan said, referring to major weapons such as aircraft carriers and long-range bombers.
North Korea has said denuclearisation is off the table, and accused the United States and its allies of pursing "hostile" policies, including sanctions, that have left it no choice but to expand its military.
Sullivan said Washington had no ill intent toward North Korea and is open to talks without preconditions.
"Pyongyang has rejected this sincere outreach," he said.
The last round of U.S. sanctions in October targeted two Singapore-registered companies and a Marshall Islands-registered firm that Washington said support Pyongyang's weapons programmes and its military.
Decades of U.S.-led sanctions have not halted North Korea's increasingly sophisticated missile and nuclear weapon programmes, and China and Russia have blocked recent efforts to impose more United Nations sanctions, saying they should instead be eased to jumpstart talks and avoid humanitarian harm.
Sullivan said the administration has no illusions about the challenges, but that the United States remained committed to holding North Korea accountable. (Reuters)
November
EU seeks tribunal to probe possible Russian war crimes in Ukraine
Written by Nur Yasmin
The European Union will try to set up a specialised court, backed by the United Nations, to investigate and prosecute possible war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine, European Commision President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.
"We are ready to start working with the international community to get the broadest international support possible for this specialised court," von der Leyen said.
Ukraine has been pushing for the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian military and political leaders it holds responsible for starting the war.
The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) launched its own investigation into alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes days after Moscow's Feb. 24 invasion, but it does not have jurisdiction to prosecute aggression in Ukraine.
"While continuing to support the International Criminal Court, we are proposing to set up a specialised court, backed by the United Nations, to investigate and prosecute Russia's crime of aggression," von der Leyen said.
According to EU officials, the support of the United Nations for the specialised court is "essential" to help resolve the issue of immunity from prosecution for high state functionaries such as a head of state.
While customary international law awards so-called functional immunity to top state officials for many alleged wrongdoings there is a consensus that this immunity cannot apply to prosecutions before international courts.
Legal experts supporting the special tribunal point out that the crime of aggression is a leadership crime and would only target top state officials.
EU officials said this issue "is precisely the reason why it is so essential to have international backing and to have the involvement of the UN in order to be able to overcome the principle of immunity”.
Russia, which calls its actions in Ukraine a "special military operation", has denied targeting civilians and other war crimes.
The G7 agreed on Tuesday to set up a network to coordinate investigations into war crimes as part of a push to prosecute suspected atrocities in Ukraine.
An act of aggression is defined by the United Nations as the "invasion or attack by the armed forces of a state of the territory of another state, or any military occupation ..."
Despite the crime's recognition under international law there is currently no specific court or tribunal to which Ukraine can turn.
There are several forms the special tribunal could take but legal experts say the most likely is a so-called hybrid tribunal, operating under Ukrainian law with support from the international community.
Such courts are typically staffed by international prosecutors and judges or a mix of local and international staff. (Reuters)
November
Saudi Arabia to host China-Arab summit during Xi visit, sources say
Written by Nur Yasmin
Saudi Arabia plans to host a Chinese-Arab summit on Dec. 9 attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to the kingdom, three Arab diplomats in the region familiar with the plans said on Wednesday.
Xi is scheduled to arrive in Riyadh on Dec. 7, two of the diplomats and a fourth source with direct knowledge of the visit said, on a trip that comes at a sensitive time for Saudi-U.S. relations that have been strained by a dispute over energy supplies and concerns over growing Chinese influence in the Middle East.
Invitations have gone out to leaders in the Middle East and North Africa for the Chinese-Arab gathering, the diplomats said.
The Saudi government communications office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Xi's visit or summit timing. The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a query on Xi's trip.
The Chinese delegation is expected to sign dozens of agreements and memoranda of understanding with Gulf nations and other Arab states covering energy, security and investments, the diplomats said without elaborating.
Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs Adel Al-Jubeir earlier this month told Reuters that strengthening trade ties and regional security would be priorities in the visit, which is also expected to include a China-Gulf summit alongside the wider Arab gathering.
"The level of representation depends on each country with many Arab leaders expected to attend, others would send at least their foreign ministers," one of the Arab diplomats told Reuters.
Xi's trip comes against the backdrop of Washington's strained ties with both Beijing and Riyadh over differences on human rights and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and as Western countries face rising economic competition from China, which they say uses its economic might as diplomatic leverage.
Gulf Arab states have in the past few years been strengthening links with China and Russia at a time of growing regional doubts about the commitment of key security partner the United States to the region.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have resisted U.S. pressure to "choose sides" when it comes to their ties with China, a major trade partner, and Russia, a fellow member of the OPEC+ oil producer alliance.
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration was angered by the OPEC+ decision in October to cut output targets despite U.S. objections, further fraying long-standing ties with Saudi Arabia that Biden had tried to mend during a thorny visit to the kingdom in July. (Reuters)
November
Exclusive: India asked by sanctions-hit Russia for parts for key sectors
Written by Nur Yasmin
Moscow has sent India a list of more than 500 products for potential delivery including parts for cars, aircraft and trains, four sources familiar with the matter said, as sanctions squeeze Russia's ability to keep vital industries running.
The list, a version of which has been seen by Reuters in New Delhi, is provisional and it is unclear how many of the items will eventually be exported and in what quantity, but an Indian government source said the request was unusual in its scope.
India is keen to boost trade in this way, said the source, as it tries to narrow a ballooning trade deficit with Russia. Some companies have expressed concern, however, about potentially falling foul of Western sanctions.
An industry source in Moscow, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade asked large companies to supply lists of raw materials and equipment they needed.
The source added that further discussion would be needed to agree specifications and volumes and that the outreach was not limited to India.
Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Indian foreign and commerce ministries and the prime minister's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Russia's requests were made weeks ahead of Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar's visit to Moscow starting Nov. 7, two of the Indian sources said. It was not immediately clear what was conveyed by New Delhi to Russia during the visit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has not joined Western countries in openly criticising Moscow for the war in Ukraine, and has sharply increased purchases of Russian oil that have cushioned it from some of the impact of sanctions.
During the Moscow visit, Jaishankar said India needed to boost exports to Russia to balance bilateral trade that is now tilted towards Russia.
He was accompanied on the visit by senior officials in charge of agriculture, petroleum and natural gas, ports and shipping, finance, chemicals and fertiliser, and trade - which he said showed the importance of ties with Russia.
RUSSIA'S STRUGGLES
Western sanctions have crippled supplies of some crucial products in Russia.
Airlines are experiencing an acute shortage of parts because almost all planes are foreign-made. Car parts are also in demand, with global automakers having left the market.
A source in Russia's car sales industry said the trade ministry had sent a list of car parts needed to corresponding ministries and state agencies in other countries, including India.
The list of items from Russia, which runs to nearly 14 pages, includes car engine parts like pistons, oil pumps and ignition coils. There is also demand for bumpers, seatbelts and infotainment systems.
For aircraft and helicopters, Russia requested 41 items including landing gear components, fuel systems, communication systems and fire extinguishing systems, life jackets and aviation tyres.
Also on the list were raw materials to produce paper, paper bags and consumer packaging and materials and equipment to produce textiles including yarns and dyes, according to the document reviewed by Reuters.
Russian metals producers like nickel and palladium giant Nornickel (GMKN.MM) have said Western sanctions and self-sanctioning by some suppliers have made it difficult for industrial companies to obtain imported equipment, spare parts, materials and technologies in 2022, posing a challenge to their development programmes.
The list includes nearly 200 metallurgy items.
Russia has been India's largest supplier of military equipment for decades and it is the fourth-biggest market for Indian pharmaceutical products.
But with purchases of Russian oil soaring and coal and fertiliser shipments also strong, India is looking for ways to rebalance trade, the first Indian government source said.
Indian imports from Russia have grown nearly five times to $29 billion between Feb. 24 and Nov. 20 compared with $6 billion in the same period a year ago. Exports, meanwhile, have fallen to $1.9 billion from $2.4 billion, the source said.
India is hoping to boost its exports to nearly $10 billion over coming months with Russia's list of requests, according to the government source.
But some Indian companies are reluctant to export to Russia over fears of being sanctioned by the West, the lack of clarity over payments and challenges to securing insurance.
"There is a hesitancy among exporters ... particularly on sanctioned items," said Ajay Sahai, director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), a body supported by India's commerce ministry.
Sahai, who is aware of Russia's request, said even small- and medium-sized exporters who could meet some of the requests and had previously exported to Iran after Western sanctions, were not enthusiastic.
Large Indian lenders are also reluctant to process direct rupee trade transactions with Russia, months after the mechanism was put in place, for fear of being sanctioned. (reuters)